Students’ lives more important: Telangana HC reserves order on petitions from institutions seeking to reopen

HYDERABAD: Not satisfied with the submissions of various educational institutions challenging the government’s decision to close down their junior colleges for failure to have NOC from fire services department, the High Court reserved its order in batch petitions filed seeking permission to run their colleges on the same premises.

A division bench of the court said on Thursday: “Students’ lives are more important than other things. The colleges have to be moved out of the present premises if it is not possible to fulfil the requirements specified by the board. The State government might have woken up after a deep slumber only after the court’s orders”, the bench observed.

The bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy is dealing with batch petitions filed by Sri Chaitanya, Narayana, Gouthami and other private educational institutions challenging the decision of TSBIE (Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education) to shut down the institutions. Special counsel for Telangana A Sanjeev Kumar informed the court that 40 junior col leges had been completely closed from March 28 last year. After hearing both sides, the bench reserved its orders.